The Heart of a Community
Bowling Centers are truly special places that can bring a community together. From toddlers to grandparents, students, professionals, families, and out-of-town visitors–everyone can enjoy wholesome fun at the bowling center. Today, bowling finds itself competing with more indoor activities than ever: from online gaming to other attractions like arcades, VR, laser tag, axe throwing, and more. Although still incredibly strong, bowling isn’t capturing the attention and traffic it once did. Similarly, where leagues once represented close to 70% of bowling center attendance, they are now in the minority.
Fortunately, bowling remains the most popular indoor attraction in America and serves as the ideal anchor attraction for a more diverse offering. When attractions like arcade, VR, or laser tag are brought into the mix, the appeal of the location expands to individuals who might be more enticed by those attractions than bowling. Being in proximity to bowling, there will be new converts; and dedicated bowlers may soon find new reasons to spend time at your bowling center!
What Laser Tag Can Bring to Your Bowling Center
It is well known among veteran bowling center owners that laser tag is a great addition to their service offering. It draws a different crowd and brings them into their centers, getting more bodies under the roof. The benefits are pretty clear:
- Strong revenue: typical laser tag centers are earning $8-10 per player per game of laser tag, and running 40,000-100,000 players per year.
- Low maintenance and attendant costs: LaserBlast doesn’t charge annual license or service fees, and a laser tag attraction can, on most days, be run by a single attendant.
- Peripheral sales: More physical activity leads to more beverages and food being sold.
- Cross-pollinating attractions: when guests at one attraction see how much fun other guests are having at another, they’re going to want to get in on the action!
Of course, there are also a number of questions for the bowling proprietor to consider: where will you find the space to put a laser tag arena? Does the local demography support it? How do you successfully market your laser tag arena to ensure you start getting more people in the door? What are the opportunity costs associated with a laser tag attraction compared to others, when it comes to floor space, investment, and operational costs? How much of your facility’s identity will be reshaped by the diversification of attractions?
Is Laser Tag Right for Your Bowling Center?
Each bowling alley is completely unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions. No one knows your business more than you do, but the experts at LaserBlast have been in the industry for a long time, and have worked alongside dozens of successful bowling alleys like HeadPinz and Pin Stack.
Recently, we’ve worked with operators adding up-scale laser tag attractions with 2500 square feet without losing the premium experience. If you already have an arcade, or food & beverage, a complementary laser tag arena can be installed in the space of just 6 lanes. If having a laser tag arena sounds great, but you’re not sure where to begin or want to weigh your options, you can get in touch with us!
